One in 10 Brits leaves web passwords in their will

Your gran could pass on her iTunes password along with the family silver as a survey suggests that 11 per cent of Brits have either put internet passwords into their wills or plan to do so.

The main reason for passing on the keys to internet accounts was the valuable content amassed in the cloud – with 25 per cent of the 2,000 adults questioned saying that they had collected films, music and software worth at least £200.

The other reason given was that stuff of sentimental value such as family snaps were stored online and that people wanted to pass these on too, as a "digital inheritance".

The research from the Goldsmiths University Creative and Social Technology centre – commissioned by cloud computing company Rackspace – found that 53 per cent of those polled held "treasured possessions" in such services. A quarter said they had "special photos" stored online, one in 10 said they had treasured videos there and the same number kept sentimental emails from loved ones.

On a more practical note, the estate of a deceased person may become liable for online subscription – so giving passwords to executors makes practical sense.

Just make sure you update your will every time you update your password... Read their white paper here: Generation Cloud [PDF] ®